They say on Neptune That when it rains, It rains diamonds. Could you imagine a more beautifully terrifying scene? How something so rare could be made common. That something that could cause a war in one place, Could be walked over in another. This can make one wonder, how much power their own perceptions hold. For if we could all find value in one another Maybe we would see diamond rain here too.

After what feels like hours of scrolling, there is finally a glimmer of hope. In the vast pool of dateable men near me, I finally come across one that isn’t just a “fun-loving guy that just wants to have a good time”. Really sir, I was hoping for a crotchety guy that loves going to the dmv.

This guy’s not shirtless or quoting something ridiculous from an action movie; he’s set himself apart from the crowd. His first picture is him overlooking the sky at sunset. His face nor his features are visible, just an intriguing shadowy figure.

I scroll down to see he is quite a bit older than me, but who says this is marriage? I just want someone to enjoy this time of my life with, eternal love can wait a little longer.

He works in finance, which could mean something great, or nothing really at all. I’ve been on dates with “finance guys” that worked the cash register at the drive through. He loves animals. Check. He loves sports and his favorite football team is mine too. Check and check. We even went to the same college, albeit in different decades, but it still counts.

I scroll back up to see the rest of his pictures now he’s passed my first test. I’ve learned the hard way not to fall in love with a pretty picture because the subject can be a prick.

The second picture is their point of view from the sideline at a football game. Our team is playing, but it’s not at their stadium. The third picture is them in a khaki suit with a white shirt, and pink tie. You can’t see his face, but he looks great. Like, could be mistaken for a twenty year old D1 kind of guy, great.

Just when the thought “he’s too good to be true” starts to creep into my mind I get to the fourth picture. My whole body feels like it collapses into the couch and my world around me goes black. All I can see is my phone screen showing his face. This face that has two major problems, and I don’t know which is worse. The first, I know for a fact this man is married. The second, he’s my dad.

There comes a time when we all must weep under the willow Some may make the time everyday Offloading the baggage every night so they can face the next day

But others are forced to stop Stopped by the monsters they thought they could outrun Stopped by the monster they’ve now become

You can’t hide from what is in you Hiding in the darkest part of your heart Pleading and hoping for a sun that will never spark Until the small things become large And the scratches become cuts to deep to fix on your own Cuts to deep to hide you haven’t grown

But this is why the willow is there Don’t be intimidated by the scale of it’s trunk Or it’s wisps in the air Because if you would take the time to pause You would see how the willow cares

So take the time to rest And let the breeze provide a caress It’ll lift your soul, you’ll see After you take a moment to weep under the willow tree

I sit here now among things just like me. The grass has withered and dried. All the structures have fallen down, and the soil is too sick for anything new to grow. Even the path is being overtaken by decay.

But it didn’t use to be like this. You would never believe what this place was like before. There was soft, lush grass that tickled your legs as you ran through. Flowers everywhere, in all sorts of colors that radiated with such beauty you would grow jealous of them. The path wasn’t for getting through, but it was how we got to each other. The path was the highway which love traveled and joy began.

There were homes all lined up in rows. They weren’t large, but what did that matter when heaven waited outside your door. We knew they were just for resting, outside is where life was.

Hope used to be here. Not hope that things would get better, but that the rest of the world could experience the life we had right here. A life where all we needed was each other; a dream we thought no entity could tear asunder.

Perhaps it was our own fault. Our patriarchs and matriarchs left us behind for the next life and we couldn’t figure out how to carry on here. We didn’t know our identity without them, so we went in search of something we thought was greater. One by one we all left this place, and because of it, this place has now left us too. So instead of taking our hope out there, what was out there has taken our hope from here.

Dear Future People (sorry if you go by something else now),

I am hiding this time capsule so you can enjoy the coolest things of our time. I know by the time you open this you’ll have your own cool stuff that is better than ours, but at least give it a chance.

The first item is a Game Boy SP. it’s the blue one that flips open with a screen and buttons. I left Donkey Kong in it so you have a game to try. Avoid the bees, trust me. I couldn’t find a charger, but I’m sure the battery will last at least a 100,000 years. It’s never died on me yet.

The second item is Moon Shoes. This is great because I haven’t gotten to go to the moon yet. Have you? If you have, try the shoes on and let me know how they compare to the real experience. I live behind the middle school at the house with the bright yellow door.

I’ve also placed a fewer smaller items in here for you too. There’s a yo-yo, slinky, magnet blocks, and a furry diary with matching glitter pen. I’ll let you figure these out on your own.

I hope you get more enjoyment out of this stuff than I did. I’m sure you’ll be safe, but maybe be discreet. This stuff is all borrowed treasures. Anyways enjoy your time with things from the past, and if a big ugly guy named Eddie asks anything, run.

Good Luck, Tommy

They said I had enough Enough for me Enough for my children Enough for my children’s children But they were wrong Late nights now amount to nothing Anniversaries forgotten sting that much more And school plays feel like memories I let walk out the door And for what? Rented memories in a fast car A boastful house that kept us apart Now there’s nothing for my children Nothing for my children’s children And nothing and no one for me

They’re running out of time; the day is quickly coming to an end. The red suits have been searching for hours, and still haven’t come up with anything. The only thing that they think they know is that the craft has been stranded here for more than a week.

They’ve brought out every fancy tool that they have, for nothing. They can’t detect a noise to see if there are any survivors, they can’t tell if the craft is still operable, heck they couldn’t even get inside of it. I guess they got desperate and impatient, because they decided to blow a hole in it to get inside.

Now they can see inside, but what’s next? It’s kind of like if a bear had stumbled upon a car in the woods. The bear has never seen a car before, and doesn’t know it’s use. Through brute strength the bear may be able to to break into the front seat, but then it’s just another puzzle of more items the bear doesn’t understand. It’s not like the bear has a key tucked behind his ear for such a time as this. No, the bear is merely destroying what he does not understand, because he does not understand.

That is the situation I look down on now, but worse. Because instead of one curious bear, it is 20 or so curious and territorial explorers destroying my craft. Unlike the bear breaking into the front seat, what these savages have done is more like ripping the door off the trunk. I’ll let them keep going until they get tired though, maybe then they’ll go home. Then I can return to MY craft, and repair MY craft, then leave in MY craft that they should have never even bothered in the first place. That’s the way it should go at least.

If not, it only gets worse. For all of us, not just me though, I think that’s only fair. See, I’m not one to not be prepared. While some lock the car door and hope a bear doesn’t come around. I set a bear trap, so the bear knows not to come back again.

Birds chirp their heart’s song The flowers blow in the breeze As the children fend off a brain freeze Nothing in the world seems wrong

The bees buzz around just to say hello Even the water’s rush is in peace And the young women’s laughter fails to cease At the young men who try to be cool and mellow

Yes, on a beautiful summer’s day everything is perfect The problems of yesterday no longer matter And the woes of tomorrow seem so far away

Sadly, we must all accept The reason a beautiful summer’s day has us all in a chatter Is that we know it is not here to stay

All my wishes came true. I got the promotion at work and a huge pay raise with the corner office. My boss came and apologized to me before quitting and I got promoted again to his position. My office crush, that I didn’t even think knew I existed came and talked to me!

I got the fancy car I’ve always wanted and it looks great sitting in the driveway of my new house while my boat is parked in the garage. I got the fancy iron fence that slides open as I arrive and a garden out of a mystery novel. I’ve got a view that overlooks the entire city. I can see where I used to be.

I can see the apartment I lived in that had the leaky roof and the loud neighbors. I can see the street where my car broke down, and nearly caught fire. I can see the the little restaurant where where we used to go for water and chips and salsa, because it was all we needed.

All my wishes came true, and with just the small sacrifice of working twice as many hours before. Plus with the promotion any chance I had with my crush is gone, since I’m his boss now. But it’s great.

Did I mention how much I love my new car? I haven’t gotten to drive it much because I’ve had to take it to the mechanic a few times, but I’m sure it’ll be good as new soon. I took the boat out, but I got sick. Maybe it’ll be better when it’s warmer. The house is gorgeous, and only a little lonely. But, it’s fine because the calls of the coyotes keep me up-company. They keep me company at night, like a lullaby. It’s great though because all of my wishes came true.

My only wish now is that I could go back to the life I had with you.

10 Steps Away I’m steps away from voluntarily jumping off a bridge. Why am I doing this? How did I let my friends talk me into this. This is exactly what I was warned about all through my childhood.

9 Steps Away Is this even safe? I didn’t see any kind of permits or anything, but these guys look like they know what they’re doing. Right? Hey, if I do this and am panicked when I’m pulled back up the worker will have to wrap me in his arms and comfort me.

8 Steps Away What is wrong with me. I’m not that desperate and alone that I would jump off a bridge just to get a guys attention! What if I am the one? Not the good kind of one, but the one that pushes the bungee past it’s limit, and instead of yo-yo-ing around for a few seconds I just yo. That’s what I would be remembered by, a terrible last decision.

6 Steps What will I be remembered by, it’s not like I’ve accomplished anything significant in my 30 years. I’ve worked and done what I was supposed to, how horrible is that.

4 Steps Away That’s it do or die, this is who I am now. I’m not going to let fear keep me from trying this. If I die, hopefully I look cool on the way down.

3 Steps Away This is a mistake. This is a mistake. This is a mistake.

2 Steps Away The hot instructor is talking to me but I have no clue what he’s saying. It’s just a blur of sounds. Is he singing to me? I nod yes with an awkward giggle and it seems to do the trick.

1 Step Tell my parents I loved them, and it was me that scratched the car in 2005. Turns out a stairway of paint cans do not make for a good dunk launchpad.

0 Steps Ahhh! I’ve changed from a woman to a stick man, unable to move. Unable to breathe. Not wanting to see.

Until I’m no longer bouncing. I’m gliding, practically flying. I’m floating over lush trees, a sparkling blue stream, and letting the cool breeze push through my hair. It’s a view that I couldn’t see from 10 steps away, and definitely didn’t appreciate from 1. I’m glad this was not a mistake.